Conveyer device



Aug. 6, 1935. c. G. .OHARA CONVEYER DEVICE Filed April 13, 1955' 2 Sheets-Sheet l r //W/Y70/z- CHABLES Glass/EL 07:44AM,

Aug. 6, 1935. c. G. OHARA CONVEYER DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 13, 1935 //YV/V7UE-' C/MELES GABz/a 0779154,

Patented Aug. 6, 1935 PATENT OFFICE CONVEYER DEVICE Charles Gabriel OHara, Norristown, Pa., assignor to Norristown Foundry Company, Inc., Norristown, Pa., a, corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 13, 1935, Serial No. 16,139

8 Claims.

This invention embodies a modification of the conveyer device, subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 659,676 filed March 6, 1933, for Letters Patent of the United States, patented Apr. 16, 1935, No. 1,998,249, and is particularly designed for inclusion in automatic stokers wherein the ashes are elevated in a casing inclosing an endless chain with bucket conveyers which deliver the ashes to a lateral opening in the casing through which the ashes are discharged into a can or other removable receptacle. It was found in practice that such receptacles are sometimes left in such relation to the discharge opening from the conveyer casing that the ashes piled up on top ofthe receptacle and obstructed said opening. Therefore, in the construction shown insaid copending application, I provided a Y-fitting in connection with the discharge opening from the conveyer casing adapted to discharge the ashes into two adjoining cans or receptacles, and provided that Y-fitting with a safety opening and a door for the same so that if and when the normal discharge opening from the conveyer casing became obstructed by ashes owing to the neglect of the operator to remove the can or cans, the pressure of the ashes upon said safety door would open the latter and discharge the surplus ashes aside from the cans. However, in practical experience with that construction and arrangement, I find that in cases of neglect to remove the ash receptacles at the proper time during the continued operation of the stoker, the ashes, which accumulate in the Y-fitting partly fall back into the conveyer casing, thus imposing a loss of energy in the repeated upliftingof such surplus ashes, and that if the ashes become damp, as frequently occurs from weather conditions, the force of gravity of the ashes against said safety dooris sometimes insufiicient to open the latter because of the coherence of the moist ashes, and the conveyer casing becomes clogged with ashes from top to bottom. Therefore, in said eopending application, I provide means to prevent the return ofashes into said conveyer casing through the opening from which they .have been' discharged toward the receptacle and if surplus ashes accumulate outside of said discharge opening between it and the safety door, to impose upon such surplus ashes mechanical pressure in addition to the gravitative force thereof to insure the opening of the safety door. That invention included a single movable element to accomplish both of thosepurposes, comprising a single lever of the third order suspended from apivot at its top andhaving a'deflecting plate at the lower'end,

said lever being of-such configuration as to be encountered by the outer edge of each of the conveyer buckets as the latter successively approach the discharge opening in the conveyer casing, with the effect of pushing said deflecting plate outward and thus imposing pressure from the buckets through said lever upon the ashes outside of the deflecting plate. In that construction and arrangement, the lever is supposed to return to its normal inward position solely by gravity. How- 10 ever, I have found in practice that sometimes, particularly when the ashes are moist, the deflecting plate may be caught in the ashes and held in its outwardly thrust position, so that the discharge opening may be reclogged with ashes behind the deflecting plate which remains stationary in its outwardly pushed position.

Therefore, my present invention includes a modification of the structure shown in said copending application in that a lever of the first order is substituted for the lever of the third order shown in said application, and so arranged that the deflecting plate is positively moved both outwardly and inwardly by the cooperation of the conveyer buckets with that lever, successively upon opposite sides of the fulcrum.

My invention includes the various novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter more definitely specified.

In said drawings, Fig. I is a fragmentary elevation of the discharge side of the conveyer casing. I

Fig. II is a vertical sectional View, taken on the line II, II in Fig. I through said casing and its appurtenances.

Fig. III is aplan View of said lever of the first order, shown in Fig. II.

Fig. IV is a side elevation of said lever.

Fig. V is an elevation of said lever as seen from the left hand side of Fig. IV. 4

In said figures, the conveyer casing I is conveniently inclined upwardly and outwardly from the ash elevator base of the stoker in which the ashes are deposited. Said casing incloses the endless conveyer chain 2 which is conveniently hung upon sprocket wheels 3 and 4 respectively provided with shafts 5 and 6 at the bottom and top of said casing. Said shaft 5 is provided with any suitable means to turn it to progress the chain in the direction of the arrow indicated in Fig. II. Said shaft 6 and wheel 4 are conveniently mounted in the open rectangular bearing frame I 8 which is mounted for adjustment, in the direction of length of the chain, in the slideway 9 in the elevator casing l and is continually stressed upwardly by the spring l I, to maintain said chain taut. As indicated in Fig. 11, said spring H encircles the plunger l2, which is rigidly connected with said bearing frame 8, and bears at its lower end upon the removable cover 53 of said elevator casing i, and bears at its upper end against the abutment plate it which encircles said plunger l2 and is adjustable by the nut it which engages a screw thread on said plunger. I find it convenient to provide said spring i i and its appurtenances with the removable dust cap l'i which cletachably engages the upwardly extending flange is on said cover it. I

Said chain 2 carries a series of buckets for lifting the ashes to be conveyed and discharging them through the discharge opening 2i in the side of said conveyer casing i. I prefer to provide said discharge opening with the f-fittiirg 22 in connection with said casing i and adapted to discharge the ashes through its pendent branches 23 and it into adjoining cans or receptacles. As indicated in Fig. I, said branches may be provided with respective flexible conduits 25 and 2G for extension to said receptacles. Said Y-fitting 22 has the safety opening 2? above and beJween said branches with any suitable means, for instance, the studs 29, for supporting a safety door 38 which normally closes said safety opening and which is preferably connected with said Y-fitting by the flexible connector 3i so that said door will not be lost in the discharged ashes, if and when said door is dislodged from its supporting studs to permit the ashes to be discharged through said safety opening aside from the receptacles to which the ashes are normally discharged through said branches.

The lever 32 is fulcrumed intermediate of its length upon the pivot pin 33 which extends through the boss St on said bearing frame 8, and is engaged at its opposite ends in the parallel arms 35 of said lever 32, so that the fulcrum of said lever is maintained in constant relation with the axis of said shaft 5 instead of being fulcrumed in the casing as in my copending application aforesaid. Said lever has the deflecting plate at its lower end extending obliquely outward adjacent to the lower end of said discharge opening 20 and the counter-balance weight 3'1 on said lever is so proportioned and located as to normally maintain said deflecting plate in the position shown in Fig. II, with the inner cam edge 38 of said lever extending in the path of the outer edges of said buckets 2b. In that normal position, said deflecting plate overhangs the bottom edge of said opening and insures that all of the ashes dumped from said buckets shall be deflected outwardly through said discharge opening instead of partly falling back within said casing Consequently, said lever edge 38 is adapted to be encountered by said buclrets in succession with the effect of thrusting it outwardly through said discharge opening -2i and against any surplus ashes which may accumulate in said Y-fitting, with the effect of imposing upon such surplus ashes mecha-nical pressure in addition to gravitative force thereof to insure the opening of said safety door 3t under the abnormal conditions above contemplated. Moreover, the opposite end of said lever 32 has the cam surface 32) extending in the path of the outer edges of said buckets 2?) as they are carried around said sprocket wheel t so that the left hand end of said lever as shown in Fig. II is uplifted by each bucket passing under it with the effect of withdrawing the right hand endof said lever with its deflecting plate backward from said discharge opening 2i. Said deflecting plate 36 is thus positively thrust outward and drawn backward by the successive contacts of each of said buckets it with the opposite end cam surfaces 38 and 39 on said lever 32; thus avoiding the occasional defect found in the operation of said con struction and arrangement described in my copending application.

Although I find it conveni nt to provide said discharge opening with the Y-fitting above described having two branches for discharge of ashes into respectively separate receptacles, the construction and arrangement above described would be efiicacious for the purpose contemplated said fitting had but one branch; or, if there were no fitting exterior to said discharge opening, said lever would be operative to insure the deflection of the conveyed ashes outwardly from said casing i through said discharge opening 2|.

Therefore, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise details of construction and arrangement herein set forth, as it is obvious that various modifications be made therein without departing from the essential features of my invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

In a conveyor device, the combination with a casing having a discharge outlet at one end thereof; of an endless chain conveyor mounted in said casing; means for supporting and driving said chain, including sprocket wheels in the end big-hts thereof; a series of buckets on said chain for dumping the material conveyed through said discharge outlet; a lever of the first order having a fulcrum intermediate of its length and adeflecting plate at one end of said lever; means for supporting said fulcrum in said casing with said deflecting plate adjacent the lower end of said discharge outlet, including a frame movable in said casing longitudinally with respect to said chain; a counterbalance weight on said iever for normally maintaining said deflectingplate in a predetermined position with respect to said discharge opening and the path of traverse of the buckets on said chain; said lever having cam surfaces presented toward said chain upon respectively opposite sides of said fulcrum and adapted to be encountered by said buckets in succession; a discharge fitting on said casing in registry with said discharge opening and having a safety door in the outer wall thereof; whereby operation of said chain causes the material discharged by said buckets to be deflected from said casing through said opening, and the successive contact of the buckets with the two cam surfaces of said lever intermittently thrusts said deflecting plate through said discharge opening and positively returns it to normal position; and said safet door is thrust open to discharge, exterior to said fitting, any surplus conveyedmaterial detained in said fitting.

2. In a conveyer device, the combination with a casing having a discharge outlet at one end thereof; of an endless chain conveyer mounted in said casing; means for supporting and driving said chain; a series of buckets on said chain for dumping the material conveyed through said dis-- charge outlet; a lever of the first order having a fulcrum intermediate of its length and a deflecting plate at one end of said lever; means for supporting said fulcrum in said casing with said deflecting plate adjacent the lower end of predetermined position with respect to said discharge opening and the path of traverse of the buckets on said chain; said lever being adapted to be twice encountered by each of said buckets in succession; and a discharge fitting on said casing in registry with said discharge opening and having a safety door; whereby operation of said chain causes the material discharged by said buckets to be deflected from said casing through said outlet, and the successive contact of the buckets with said lever intermittently thrusts said deflecting plate through said discharge opening and positively returns it to normal position; and said safety door is thrust open to discharge, exterior to said fitting, any surplus conveyed material detained in said fitting.

3. In a conveyer device, the combination with a casing having a discharge outlet at one end thereof and a safety opening in spaced relation with said discharge outlet; of an endless chain conveyer mounted in said casing; means for supporting and driving said chain; a series of buckets on said chain for dumping the material conveyed through said discharge outlet; a lever of the first order having a fulcrum intermediate of its length and a deflecting plate at one end of said lever; means for supporting said fulcrum in said casing with said deflecting plate adjacent the lower end of said discharge outlet and in cooperative relation with said safety opening;

and means on said lever for normally maintain-i tween said discharge outlet and said safety opening, and positively returns said lever to normal position.

4. In a conveyer device, the combination with a casing having a discharge outlet and a safety opening in spaced relation with said outlet; of an endless chain conveyer mounted in said casing; a series of buckets on said chain for dumping the material conveyed through said discharge outlet; a lever of the first order having a fulcrum intermediate of its length and a deflecting plate at one end of said lever; means for supporting said fulcrum in said casing with said deflecting plate extending across said outlet and in cooperative relation with said safety opening; a counterbalance weight on said lever for normally maintaining said deflecting plate in position to deflect said material through said outlet; said lever having a plurality of cam surfaces presented toward said chain and adapted to be encountered by said buckets in succession, to positively oscillate said deflecting plate in said outlet, and discharge material therefrom, through said safety opening, when the material accumulates in the space between said discharge opening and safety opening.

5. In a conveyer device, the combination with a casing having a discharge outlet and a safety opening in spaced relation with said discharge outlet; of an endless chain conveyer mounted in said casing; a series of buckets on said chain for dumping the material conveyed through said outlet; a lever of the first order having a fulcrum intermediate of its length and a deflecting plate at one end of said lever; means for supporting said fulcrum in said casing with said deflecting plate extending across said'discharge outlet and in cooperative relation with said safety opening; and means on said lever for normally maintaining said deflecting plate in position to deflect said material through said outlet; said lever being adapted to be twice encountered by each of said buckets in succession to discharge material through said safety opening when the material accumulates in the space between said discharge outlet and said safety opening, and positively return said lever to normal position.

6. In a conveyer device as in claim 5, means for supporting the fulcrum of said lever in adjustable relation with said casing.

7. A conveyer device as in claim 5, wherein the lever has two parallel arms local to its fulcrum and means for supporting the fulcrum including a frame movable in said casing; and means for adjustably moving said frame in said casing.

8. A conveyer device as in claim 5, including a frame with means for supporting one bight of said chain and the fulcrum of said-lever, and screw means for efiecting adjustment of that frame in said casing.

CHARLES GABRIEL OHARA. 

